Update: 1950s Three-Quarter Length Cardigan

I’m slowly making progress on the 1950s Three Quarter Sleeve Cardigan Sweater. I really like the design of the sweater. Having only side seams to sew up is gonna be terrific! I don’t like seaming very much, I’m not great at it. While practice makes perfect, it drives me crazy trying to get the seams to look nice and lined up correctly.

My check list. In pencil. So I can erase it when I have to rip out and redo.

I’ve been tracking my rows using a handwritten check list. It’s great. I can erase the pencil marks when I rip back after I discover mistakes. Boy, I’ve done a lot of ripping back because I lose focus for 4 or 5 stitches and knit or slip two stitches in a row. That really messes up the pattern. I’ve also used lifelines like they are going out of style.

A view of all the lifelines in the sweater back & sleeve backs.

The lifelines provide a good way to make sure the lengths are the same on each of the fronts. I can line up the lifelines as I complete the right front sections and insert a lifeline through the rows I noted during the construction of the left side.

I restarted the increases 4+ times. I didn’t like the way the edge was looking with the first several types of increases. I finally settled on knitting (or purling) the first stitch and then making a stitch (M1R or M1L).  

The increases meant that some of the rows have three stitches of the same color. At first, I worried about the stitches were going to stick out and look weird;  then I realized that I was making stitches that will be seamed up and barely noticeable. I shouldn’t have too many people wanting to inspect the underarm seams. I can’t even imagine how that would happen in the real world surrounded by non-knitters.

When it came time to put the right front stitches on a separate circular needle, bind off the neck, and work on the left front, I decided to try and leave the right side stitches on my working needle. It was a terrible decision. Not only did I have to constantly check that I was working on the left front, the needle was getting pretty heavy. I finally wised up and moved the right front to it's own needle with stoppers on the end, to keep the piece from sliding off, and the whole project became so much easier.

Left sleeve back.

I pinned out the left sleeve back on my foam blocking pad to measure the width. At this point I was really really hoping I was at the 11.5 inches as the pattern requested. 

That's it for now. I'm still poking along. Next up: finishing the left front and starting the right front.

Link to the pattern.

Happy knitting!

Ladies Three-Quarter Sleeve Cardigan - The Beginning

The yarn has been calling to me for a year and a half. I finally had to start the project.

I inherited a stash of almost vintage yarn from a friend of my mom’s. There are plenty of yarns in the stash that were really nice and colors and weights that I want to make things (sweaters, hats, vests) with. There were a couple of yarns in the stash that I didn’t particularly like, but for some reason couldn’t get rid of them. Something about them made me want to hang on to them and use them together in a project. It’s the weirdest thing. 

I don’t really like the color of one of the yarns in this new project, but I liked it with the second color of yarn. I’m not sure they even go well when put together. But there you go, I couldn’t get rid of the yarn, so I had to come up with something that would use both yarns in a single project. 

Bernat Berella & Unger Utopia yarns.

I was clicking through our patterns one morning and came across this pattern, the 1950s Three Quarter Sleeve Cardigan Sweater - Knit pattern. The pattern called for mohair yarn, but I don’t enjoy working with mohair yarn…it’s almost impossible to rip out stitches when I mess up stitches.

1950s Three Quarter Sleeve Cardigan Sweater - Knit pattern PDF 0858

I started with a swatch to test the pattern. I hadn’t done a slip stitch pattern before and I couldn’t figure out how the stitches were going to work together to create the design. It turns out the pattern rows are easily memorized and even easier to knit.

Test swatch, using scrap yarn.

The yarns were perfect for the jacket. It’s pretty neat looking in-person. Using the darker yarn as the secondary color means that the color pops look more like shadows - they are subtle.

I have 4 skeins of the lighter/main color and 3 skeins of the darker/contrast color. I searched online and could not find any yardage information for the Bear Brand Curlicue or the Fleisher’s Curlette yarns. That isn’t too surprising. Back in the olden days, yardage wasn’t generally included on the label. The original yarns were worsted weight. Here's a link to theVintage Yarn Wikia page for info on yarn information we've run across over the years.

The pattern calls for 11 ounces of the main color and 6 ounces of the contrast color.  I have 14.10 ounces of the light and 10.5ounces of the dark yarns.  Here’s hoping I have enough to make the sweater.

Slip stitch pattern.

The project details:

• Yarn 1: Unger Utopia, Color: 171, 100% Courtelle Acrylic, 240 yards/skein.
• Yarn 2: Color: Bernat Berella, Color: 8815/Antq Rose, 100% Acrylic, 200+ yards/skein.
• Needles: 8 US. Chaiogoo Stainless Steel.
• Gauge: 5 sts = 1 inch (per the pattern).

I should have pics of the started project shortly. Fall baseball has started and we have some Saturday games where I will have to be knitting to calm my nerves.

Happy Knitting!

 

Finished Object - Sophie's Universe Mandala

I started this crocheted blanket last year, after deciding that something needed to be made from the two single skeins of vintage (old) yarn in my stash. I wanted to make something that I hadn't made before, something cute and colorful. 

I found the Sophie’s Universe mandala afghan pattern and thought it was just so neat. The pattern calls for lightweight yarn, but my two skeins were worsted weight aqua and white. I figured the yarn weight didn't matter too much because I was making a blanket. The pattern calls for so many different colors, I had no good way to calculate how much yarn I would need for a little blanket, or how big the blanket might turn out once I ran out of yarn.

I wasn't at all sure how the final product would turn out. Crochet isn't like sewing for me. When I am picking out a sewing project, I can usually see the finished product in my mind’s eye.

  

Once I started crocheting I began worrying that I would run out of yarn, and I didn’t want to play yarn chicken. So, I went through my stash again and found the sunny yellow yarn. It’s lighter weight than the other two yarns, but somehow it works. I loosened up my tension when stitching with the yellow. I was pretty certain that the yellow was going to look out of place and weird when I added it. I love the brightness and cheeriness that is added to the look of the blanket.

This blanket could work as a doll blanket, as a wheel chair blanket, or a snoozing place for a cat or two. Our cats always gravitate to projects I am working on. My UFOs seem to make the best sleeping spots for the kitties. 

LINKS:

Link to LookWhatIMade.net website with all of the Crochet-A-Long with all of the instructions.

Link to the Sophie’s Universe CAL on Ravelry. 

Grrr. As I was taking the photos outside I was reminded of the importance of checking dyelots. While working on the blanket inside, I could not see a difference in the whites. As I was happily snapping away, I noticed the difference between border and the yarn at the center of the mandala and almost fell off the chair I was standing on to take the pics. 

Happy Stitching!

The Thoroughbred Swing Coat - Sleeves and Fronts

I decided to try something I hadn’t tried before, for the sleeves and fronts with this sweater: I knit the sleeves and fronts two-at-a-time (TAAT) on a long circular needle. The sleeves were knit on the same cable, bottom to top. The fronts were knit two-at-a-time to the point that the raglan decreases started. I then moved one of the front pieces to a second circular needle and finished each front piece on their own. I couldn't wrap my head around decreasing the sleeve stitches while knitting the TAAT. Since the majority of the fronts were already finished, the knitting of the separate pieces went really fast.

Back, Sleeves, Fronts

I thought the TAAT method would work for me because I would finish both pieces at the same time, and not be left with one front or one sleeve with one of each still to go. [No second sock syndrome. You can look it up, it's a real thing in knitting]. It’s a bit daunting for me to see half of the project completed and know I still another sleeve or front to knit. I had to make sure that I completed both pieces on the circulars when I was knitting. I worked across both pieces across the circulars so that I never put down the needles with only one of the two pieces knit.  It was difficult to return to the sweater with one side knitted, and the other one waiting to be knit, as I discovered. I ended up working on one side two times in a row while leaving the other side dangling waiting to be knit.

Start of Two-at-a-Time Fronts

Fronts completed to beginning of decreases.

Because I was having problems remembering and tracking where I was in the pattern I decided to create little reminders that I attached to the front and back of each piece to remind me of the stitch pattern for that side. I used my word processing program to make the slips of pattern, cut out the pattern snippets, and laminated each of them. I then punched a hole in the corner of the laminated piece and used a locking stitch marker to attach it to the pieces. It saved my behind more than a couple of times – especially when I had to put the sweater down for an extended period of time. It was easy to come back and see what row I had completed. 

Front with my pattern info attached.

Those little laminated tags are my new favorite thing about knitting. I will always have my pattern with me, and I know what I am supposed to be working on, even after setting down my projects for long lengths of time. It's a little goofy. But it sure works.

Happy knitting!

The Start of a 1950s Sweater

While we have taken some time off from the blog - hello again! - that doesn't mean we haven't been working on projects.

I received a bunch of yarn from a family friend. In it was a slew of RHSS (Red Heart Super Saver) yarn in a cream fleck colorway. There was enough for a sweater, but since it was a fairly old batch of yarn, it didn't have yardage listed. I had been thinking about using it for quite some time. I'd look for a pattern, but there wasn't a pattern that screamed it was the right pattern for the yarn. Then, one of my co-workers was wearing a cream swing sweater, and I realized that I had the perfect pattern in our collection. Voila! There was my inspiration.

I started the Basic Coat of Any Length back in December 2016. This is a raglan sleeve sweater. The kids were on vacation, we were on a hiatus from sports. It was magical. I zipped through the back. It took me less than three weeks to get the back completed, working on it sporadically.

The pattern calls for Spinnerin Marvel Twist (4 ounce skeins) . It turns out we had the yarn listed on our Wiki page. It's a worsted weight yarn. With some swatches in hand with different needle sizes, I swatched then washed the swatches. The washing of the swatch is almost necessary when working with the Super Saver. It's so stiff when it is being knit, but softens beautifully once washed.  I achieved gauge with a US5 (3.75mm) needle.

Sweater back along with all of the yarn for the sweater.

Cast-on: 
I used this cast on.
This cast on needs to begin with a knit stitch; and it is a cast on in even numbers. Because I like using this cast on method, I cast on one less stitch than the pattern called for – an even number of stitches. I then cast on one single stitch with a knitted cast on. I began working the pieces by knit, knit, K1tbl and continued in the pattern.

Measurements: 

Measured from directly under needle cable to bottom of back
Laid flat – not stretched: 13.75”
Laid flat –stretched: 15”

Gauge: 

6 stitches = 1 inch without stretching.

Happy Knitting!

Tunisian Crochet - A Tale of the Hat

I've made the All American hat from the 1960s Hats Bucket, Flower and Brimmed Hat plus 2 Purses - 5 Crochet patterns before - several of them in fact. But, the first time I made it, I didn't realize that the afghan stitch was Tunisian or Tapestry crochet. With the second one I made, I figured out that there was a difference between crochet and Tunisian crochet but the adjustments I made to the pattern were to make it a little more fitted and the fabric more dense.

This time around, I got a wild hair and decided to try my hand at Tunisian crochet/afghan stitch. I had to buy a hook in order to start the project. You know how it is when you get a wild hair! You have to start now, and there's no time to wait for an online order to be delivered. The big box stores do not carry double ended crochet hooks or Tunisian crochet hooks - sets or singles. On a whim I ended up at a little local fabric store that has one spinner that holds all of their knitting and crochet supplies. They had a double ended hook. I was in business!

Close-up of the stitch patterns.

I went with the blue yarns because they were in my stash. I used two colors to make it easy to tell which direction I was supposed to be working. The lighter (more royal) blue is the main color that I worked the forward stitches with. The darker blue was used for the return pass.

I watched a lot of videos on Tunisian crochet in the round. The one I found most helpful were from the Stitch Diva tutorials. She has a wealth of information on her website. Also helpful and informative were the following: Tunisian Crochet sampler & stitch dictionary at AmbassadorCrochet.com and the stitch guide at tuncro.blogspot.com.

Happy crocheting!

1940s Jiffy Raglan Sleeve Sweater - A Quick and Easy Knit

I thought I had posted pics of the 1940s Jiffy Raglan Sleeve Sweater Button Front (knit) a while back, but that was not the case. So, without further ado, are pics of the sweater.

We posted this pattern quite a while ago, and I had always been intrigued by the "Jiffy" part of the title. It turns out that this really was a quick knit. I know I have mentioned that I may be the world's slowest knitter. I am always hopeful that my knitting speed will increase, but it has not yet happened, so I was amazed at how fast I was able to knit this sweater.

I used some "vintage" Lion Brand Wool Ease that I had purchased years and years ago to make my husband a sweater vest. The yarn is a navy/light blue twist - an acrylic and wool blend.

The vest didn't happen because he thought I was a little nuts to be making him a sweater vest. So, the yarn sat in my stash, maturing like a fine wine, waiting for the perfect project to come along.

It can be difficult to find vintage patterns that use worsted weight yarn. That's why I like this pattern. Large yarn, easy directions.

The pic on the left is a close-up of the lacy, yarn-over stitch used for the majority of the sweater. 

I found the use of stitch markers invaluable when it came to working the yoke. The raglan increases were easier to see when I used the markers. The button band was crocheted on, and so much easier than I expected. 

In vintage terms this is a 16-18 sized pattern. I currently wear a medium or large in sweaters. That would put this sweater more in the 12-14 size range, depending on how aggressively you block the sweater.

Happy knitting!

A Hat from My Stash Yarn - That's How Started, Anyway

When Alison showed me the picture of these three hats, from this pattern, I knew I had to make one or two of them. The one in the center was just so dang cute - it had to be my first project from the pattern. The only caveat for making these hats was that the yarn has to come from my stash. I am not buying any new yarn. I have full and partial skeins galore. More yarn than I will ever make into hats to wear or to sell, even if I live to be 150 years old. That's how it started, anyway.

The pattern calls for a straw-like yarn,
which is difficult to find and expensive.

We had to go to a craft store to get supplies for a middle school project. I happened to notice that they had yarn on sale. We decided to get a skein of yarn to donate to his leadership class - they are learning to crochet in order to make squares for an afghan or two to donate to a local organization. Since we were buying a skein for school, I decided I would get one for myself as well. So I have a pretty summer green hat. So much for using up my yarn stash.

This is the easy version of the All-American hat. I decided not to do the loops on this hat since I'm not much of a loop-wearing gal. The color of the hat in the top is closest to the actual color.

So these cute little hats are crocheted. Great, that means fast and easy. The picture shows a fun brimmed hat. That's the beginner level of the hat. The advanced level features a crown made of looped crochets. I wanted to make the looped crochet crown, but I didn't have enough of the grey yarn. Those little loops eat up a lot of yarn.

I started the looped crown, just to see what it would look like. I didn't have enough yarn to finish, so I took these pics then ripped it out and going work to the beginning level hat. The crown is made of non-looped crochet fabric. Then we went to the craft store, and I found my green yarn. And the dark grey yarn was no longer a great fit for the pattern.

There are a bunch of different methods to make the crocheted loops. I used this video to see how to make the loop stitch.

Close-up of the pattern stitches.

I had hoped to use my stash. But I love this kicky spring color. You can find the pattern in our store.

Happy crocheting!

Crocheted Party Dress: The Finale

It's done! I can't believe I completed the Crocheted Party Dress so quickly. I don't think I have ever (and I mean ever) finished a project in a month and a half.

And the best part is - the dress looks really cute. My behind is too big to fit in the dress, so we used a dress form to showcase our little gem.

I have to say, this was a great pattern:

• It was easy to follow.
• Easy to memorize the lace shell patterns.
• The shell patterns changed often enough to keep me from getting bored.
• There were no side seams. I can't stress how awesome this was for me.
• The finishing around the neckline and the sleeves was super easy. 

Finished measurements (all taken laying flat):

• Width at waist: 15.5 inches
• Width at bottom of armhole/bust:  18.5 inches
• Width at hem:  23 inches
• Sleeve length:  25 inches
• Length from neckline to hem:  33 inches

Hop on over to our Etsy store to find the pattern. It contains three different sizes allowing for customization of the pattern.